Rock and Blues singer-songwriter ZZ Ward rolled through Omaha on her Stardust tour Monday (3/9) and delivered one of the best performances of the year!
I first caught ZZ at Maha Festival 2018 when she played right before headliners TV on the Radio. I was blown away by her powerful voice that night and I knew the next time she was in Omaha I’d have to make sure she was on our list.
ZZ has been recording music since 2012, starting with her debut E.P., followed by her full length debut album Til The Casket Drops, then 2017’s The Storm all via Hollywood Records. ZZ’s latest singles “Sex And Stardust” and “Break Her Heart” have racked up over half a million views on YouTube respectively. I suspect ZZ is hard at work on a new album as she played several unreleased songs during her show on Monday.
Being that the weather was pretty dreary and it was a sleepy Monday I wasn't sure what kind of crowd to expect, but when I got to the Waiting Room the place was packed! ZZ Ward fans of all ages showed up ready to boogie.
Before ZZ came on we were treated to the soulful sounds of Patrick Droney. With just a guitar, a bass player, and some computer loops, young Patrick serenaded the crowd with bluesy originals that had many of the ladies in the front swooning. Patrick was thankful for all those who came out and said the crowd was much bigger than the last time he played Omaha ”across the street.” I can only assume he meant the Barley Street Tavern. I really enjoyed Patrick’s crowd warming set and would recommend catching him the next time he comes through.
After Patrick there was a short stage set up and then it was time for ZZ! As the queen of ”Dirty Shine” stepped forth the crowd was deafening as they hooted and hollered at her arrival. From the moment ZZ kicked things off with the sultry ”Sex And Stardust, ” she had the crowd wrapped around her finger. In addition to ZZ’s mystical vocals her band members kept up dishing out wicked guitar solos and mind bending drum solos.
After eight songs including hits ”Put The Gun Down” and ”Til The Casket Drops” ZZ and her band stripped things down for an acoustic set, starting with the lyrically R-rated diddy about cheating on your man, ”Charlie Ain't Home.” Talk about a steamy number!
Golden honey drippin' from this house, Black stilettos on a leather couch, Jeans stickin' tight like glue, Soakin' wet, drink it up like juice, Come on, come on, come on, Come on, come on, come on
I can't scientifically prove anything, but I wouldn't be surprised to see a local baby boom after this show. After ”Charlie” came the crowd favorite ”Last Love Song” which had some of the loudest singing of the night. ZZ stood proudly and smiled as the crowd almost drowned her vocals out.
Picking the the full band back up they played a few more bluesy pop tunes like ”If I Could Be Her” and the brand-new ”Break Her Heart, which featured ZZ on piano. I was seriously impressed by the level of talent from both ZZ and her band. Throughout the set ZZ moved back and forth from guitar to harmonica to piano and the crowd ate it up.
As the night came to a close ZZ thanked the fans for all the years of support before closing with the smash hit ”Blue Eyes Blind.” Hopefully, you were lucky enough to catch this amazing show. If not, I feel bad for you. Make sure to follow ZZ on Facebook and Instagram so you don't miss her next time!
Big thanks to ZZ and Triple8 Management for setting up photo access. Setlist and galleries can be found below.
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Setlist:
Sex And Stardust
Ghost
Put The Gun Down
Til The Casket Drops
Ride
Lil' Darlin
Giant (new song)
Where Did All The Love Go
Charlie Ain't Home (Acoustic)
Last Love Song (Acoustic)
Grinnin' In Your Face (Acoustic)
If I Could Be Her
Break Her Heart
365 Days
Move Like U Stole It
The Dark (new song)
Cannonball
Blue Eyes Blind